This bowl of pasta is the essence of early spring, a time of the season that brings a conflicting message of gentle sunshine and gray days with cool rain. Crispy pancetta swathed in cream and cheese provides winter warmth, while sweet peas and delicate pea tendrils add freshness and earthy fragility, an early hint from a garden awakening from its winter slumber.

No worries if you can’t get your hands on pea tendrils, which are the wispy shoots of the snow pea plant. This dish is equally delicious simply with pancetta and peas. And while you may be tempted to use fresh peas, frozen peas are best for this dish. Save the fresh peas for munching fresh from the pod.

Spring Pea Pasta

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 5

1 pound orecchiette

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, finely diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

1/2 cup (packed) finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese

2 cups pea shoots, loosely packed

Finely grated lemon zest for garnish, optional

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and saute until beginning to crisp and the fat renders, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cream, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the cream is slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the peas and pancetta and simmer until heated through. Add the pasta and cheese and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pea shoots. Serve warm garnished with the lemon zest.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

In honor of Easter, Passover and spring, I share this roasted lamb recipe. Mind you, this is not your traditional springtime lamb roast studded with garlic and served with mint (which is always a good option, of course). Instead, this roast veers to North Africa with a generous smear of chermoula, a heady concoction of aromatic spices, fresh herbs, chiles and garlic. Consider it Easter break on holiday -- a spring fling for culinary travelers.

Chermoula is a flavorful and versatile condiment in Moroccan, Libyan and Tunisian cuisines. It’s used as a marinade and garnish for fish, meats and vegetables, and it can also be swirled into rice and couscous dishes. Recipes for chermoula vary from region to region and cook to cook, but the gist is to use fistfuls of fresh green herbs, such as parsley, cilantro and mint, and plenty of spice, such as cumin and coriander. While it’s a long list of ingredients, it’s easily blitzed in a food processor in just a few minutes. The end result should be bright, sharp and aromatic with a kick of heat. Ideally, toast and grind whole spices for best flavor, but pre-ground spices will do just fine.

The meat is served over a platter of spring greens, lightly dressed with lemon and olive oil. Choose a selection of sturdy greens that are a mix of bitter, peppery and sweet. The cooking juices from the lamb will slightly wilt leaves, for a refreshing contrast that mirrors the season. And, for best flavor results, begin marinating the lamb the night before roasting.

Lamb Chermoula With Spring Greens

Active Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 hours

Marinating Time: 24 hours, plus 1 hour standing time

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Chermoula:

4 cloves garlic

1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley sprigs

1 cup cilantro sprigs

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed

Lamb:

1 (5- to 6-pound) semi-boneless leg of lamb, fat trimmed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups mixed spring greens such as frisee, mustard greens, mizuna, arugula

1 small handful mint leaves, coarsely torn

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley and/or cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Begin marinating the lamb one day before serving. Place all of the chermoula ingredients, except the olive oil, in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to coarsely chop. Add the oil and process to blend. The chermoula should have a runny paste consistency. If needed, add a little more oil to achieve this consistency.

Place the lamb in a large bowl and season on all sides with salt and black pepper. Rub the chermoula all over the lamb. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. One hour before roasting, remove the lamb from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roast the lamb for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat (not touching the bone) reaches 135 degrees for medium-rare, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the lamb. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for at least 15 minutes to allow the juices to collect.

While the lamb is resting, place the greens, mint and parsley and/or cilantro in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle the lemon zest over, lightly season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Carve the lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spread the greens on a serving platter. Arrange the lamb in the center. Drizzle any collected lamb juices over the meat and greens and scatter the pine nuts over. Serve warm.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

If you are looking for a cake that you can eat for breakfast, with tea, as a snack or dessert, this is the cake for you. And it also happens to be gluten-free. This lemon polenta cake is moist with olive oil and drenched in lemony syrup. The result is a moist and dense cake, bursting with citrus and with a nutty, toothsome texture, thanks to the polenta and almond meal. It’s also not an overly sweet cake, which may lead you to munch on it all day long. For the record, no one will judge you for that.

The only tricky issue is that this cake actually tastes better the day after baking, once the flavor and texture have been allowed to develop. So the challenge, if you can bear it, is to wrap the cake tightly in plastic and let it stand at room temperature overnight (perhaps out of sight). Of course, it’s highly acceptable to have a nibble or two when it’s right out of the oven. After all, you’re the chef, and it’s always good practice to taste and inspect your results.

This cake keeps well and can last up to four days at room temperature, which really is moot, because it’s also positively addicting, so chances are, once you begin eating it, you won’t be able to stop.

Lemon Almond Polenta Cake

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield: Makes 1 (8- or 9-inch) cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cups almond meal (flour)

1 cup polenta

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon almond extract

Syrup:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch spring-form pan and line with parchment.

Combine the almond meal, polenta, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl and whisk to blend.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until light in color, about 2 minutes. Mix in the olive oil, lemon juice, zest and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine without over-mixing.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. If the cake begins to brown on top before finished baking, loosely cover with foil.

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup. Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the cake from the oven to a wire rack. Brush the top with the syrup and cool 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and brush the cake on the sides with the syrup. Cool completely.

Serve as-is or with a dusting of powdered sugar and/or candied lemon peel. To store, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to four days or freeze for up to one month.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS